Volcano Tightens Cordis Relationship in Japan

February 16, 2007

Feb. 16, 2007 — Intravascular ultrasound innovator Volcano Corp. announced this week it has selected Cordis Endovascular Systems Japan to be its distributor of IVUS products for use in peripheral and endovascular procedures in that country. A letter of agreement has been signed with Cordis parent company Johnson & Johnson K.K., Medical Company.

Cordis has been Volcano’s sub-distributor in Japan for several years and is credited with being largely responsible for the endovascular market dominance Volcano presently enjoys there. The agreement appoints Cordis Endovascular Japan as the direct distributor, a change that Volcano president and CEO Scott Huennekens says “should enable us to further enhance our working relationship and strengthen our position in the peripheral market."

"IVUS-guided carotid artery stenting (CAS) has clinical efficacy with some explicit benefits in spite of its invasive approach and additional device cost,” said Nobuyuki Sakai, M.D., D.M.Sc, director, Neurosurgery and Kobe City General Hospital Stroke Center Kobe City General Hospital. “IVUS can provide important inputs for effective CAS such as plaque length, distal end of plaque and plaque morphology. These inputs help to determine appropriate or optimal devices, including stent and protection devices.

“In post-stent assessment, IVUS is very useful to confirm stent expansion and plaque coverage, whereas this can be difficult when using only fluoroscopy or carotid echography,” Dr. Sakai continued. “In addition, IVUS can help evaluate thrombus and protrusion of the plaque into the vessel lumen after stenting. Again, it is difficult to visualize these important features using only fluoroscopy or carotid echography."